I think the difference is that at the C-level, executives play checkers, where every piece is the same and you can allocate "resources" (aka people) as commodit

I think the difference is that at the C-level, executives play checkers, where every piece is the same and you can allocate "resources" (aka people) as commodities. Below that we're playing chess and every person is a distinct individual. It's at the transition in either the hierarchy or in this case you're co-working trying to position himself in the former while working in the latter where it gets unpleasant and weird.